


Reconciliation

by Dr_Awkward



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: (but not for long), Angst, Asra (The Arcana) Route Spoilers, But it's good I swear, Canon Compliant, Canon Non-Binary Character, Dealing with Emotions, Feelings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I don't really write fanfic so i don't really know how to tag this, If you want me to tag anything please ask, Implied Sexual Content, Julian Devorak's Route Spoilers, M/M, Multi, Muriel Route (The Arcana), Non-Binary Asra, Past Relationship(s), Rating May Change, Unrequited Love, asra centric, but for now it's ambiguous, complicated feelings, depending on how far i take this story i may need to make a decision, for a story about muriel's route there's hardly any muriel, i alternate between he/him and they/them for Asra, i haven't decided what's in asra's or julian's pants yet, julian centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:07:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24251803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dr_Awkward/pseuds/Dr_Awkward
Summary: Did anyone else play Muriel's route just so Asra and Julian could be happy together? No? Just me?How I imagined Julian and Asra's relationship progressed while the apprentice was away with Muriel fighting Lucio. They are both disasters who are bad at dealing with their feelings but by god they are trying their best.
Relationships: Apprentice/Muriel (The Arcana), Asra/Julian Devorak, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 57





	1. I Have to Work with Him?

**Author's Note:**

> At Asra's shop, after Julian, Asra and Nadia speak to the apprentice, Julian is waiting for Asra to return so they can begin their mission to investigate the courtiers. 
> 
> They are both trying very hard to forget the past.

_ I have to work with him? _

The words kept playing in Julian’s head, no matter how hard he tried to block them out. He’d tried to play it off cool in the moment, but it still stung, just a little. Sure, maybe it was a lifetime ago. So much had happened since then, they were both different people, and Julian couldn’t remember most of it… But he remembered how he’d felt. The longing looks across the library. The endless pining after the magician… honestly if he thought about it too much it was almost embarrassing. He hadn’t been subtle, no matter how much he thought he was at the time, and encroaching upon Asra’s relationship with their apprentice… but he couldn’t help it. There was something about the other man that just drew Julian in…

But not this time. No Siree this time Julian Devorak was a stronger man, who was the master of his emotions. No embarrassing adolescent crush would get between him and the job he was doing in the name of the Countess and all of Vesuvia. He would be strong. He would not fail again. 

Asra walked into the shop, and Julian’s heart jumped up into his throat. 

Goddammit.

“All packed?” the magician asked, reaching for a feathered cap resting on the hat stand near the door. Julian fumbled for a moment, trying and failing not to seem flustered, gathering the small bag sitting at his feet. 

“Yup,” he responded, trying to act cool and  _ desperately _ ignoring the blush rising in his cheeks. “Funny enough, as a fugitive on the run from the crown, I didn’t really have that many possessions to worry about anyways.”

Asra gave him a long, measured look. Julian looked back, just managing not to wither under the gaze. He looked curiously at Asra - this wasn’t his normal pensive quietness. Something was bothering him… He was about to ask, when he was interrupted by Asra dramatically slinging his scarf over his shoulders and turning on his heel. 

“Well we best get started then. Come on.”

Julian floundered for the second time that evening. 

“Now, uh, well, just hang on there a second, we don’t uh…” he rushed around to the front of Asra to face him. “We don’t have a plan yet. We can’t just go waltzing out into the streets hoping the answers will hit us by chance.”

Asra looked at him for a long moment, lips pursed in frustration. It was then that Julian realised he’d put a hand on Asra’s shoulder instinctually. He looked at his hand, a flush creeping up his face. It had seemed so natural, he hadn’t even thought about it… But it  _ had  _ been a long time. He suspected he’d have to earn that kind of familiarity now. Hastily, he withdrew the hand, hovering it awkwardly in mid air. The tension between them was palpable. Julian sighed. There was no getting past it… 

“Look, I get the feeling things didn’t end spectacularly between us. I can’t really remember  _ how  _ they ended, but even from the spotty memories I do have, we were never really going to last. Not with, you know…” he trailed off. He was babbling again. He always did that when he was nervous. He desperately tried to get back on track. “I- look, we’re working together again whether we like it or not. And why not? We made a good team, if you ignore all that… other stuff…”  _ Focus, Ilya!  _ “Look, what I’m saying is we really should talk… all of this… out. Clear the air, work out an action plan, and set about saving Vesuvia and potentially the world from a scary undead goatman fresh and early tomorrow morning. What do you say?”

Asra blinked owlishly, staring into Julian’s face for a long moment, before his posture sagged. 

“Fine,” he acquiesced, removing his hat and walking back into the main interior of the shop. “We can stay here tonight. Work out a plan. Figure out where we hit first and how we do it…”

He trailed off, mumbling to himself, and Julian couldn’t help but smile to himself. It was a start at least. 

“Excellent, okay. So the Countess wants us to investigate the courtiers… Valdemar and… The other 'V's. Their estates are all in the north end of the city, and if they’re supposedly away dealing with Lucio, then that means…”

“They’re with Muriel.”

Julian looked up, surprised. Asra was staring out the window of the shop, looking distant and melancholy, and it took Julian a moment to realise what they were saying. 

“The courtiers?”

“No.”

“I… oh.”

It was all he could say, really. What was he meant to do? Pat him on the shoulder, tell him it would all be okay? Tell him to suck it up, that’s life, deal with it? Sweep him up in a passionate embrace and declare his undying love? Each possibility passed through his mind, each more ridiculous and inappropriate than the last. So instead, they stood in awkward silence for a long moment, before he felt he had to say  _ something _ .

“I… were you… uh, I mean… were you two still…?”

Maybe the awkward silence would have been better. 

“No. I mean, not really.” Asra paused, shaking his head and finally turning to face Julian. “Since they came back things were… I didn’t want to push them too far. And now, I mean… I want them to be happy, but…”

Julian looked at Asra with a sad smile. He took some comfort in knowing they were both struggling with words right now. In a few strides he moved across the shop to stand beside the forlorn magician. 

“I know what you mean.” 

And he really did. If there was ever an expert on unrequited love, it was Julian. Asra couldn’t help but laugh quietly. 

“I suppose you do, don’t you?”

Julian smiled. 

“Don’t worry. It gets easier. You’ll move on, and you’ll find someone new.”

Asra looked at him dubiously. 

“Did you?”

Julian shrugged. 

“I’m an anomaly. I was too busy running for my life and trying to reconcile my unending internal guilt to really consider romance.”

Asra snorted. “Well, we’re currently tracking down minions of the undead Count of Vesuvia in an attempt to save the city and maybe the world. Do you reckon there’s time for romance right now?” 

Julian couldn’t help the grin that spread across his features. “Personally, I don’t think there’s ever been a better time for it.” He paused for a beat, before adding. “Just hope that they don’t give you mixed signals before sleeping with you, and then promptly returning to their other partner. That really confuses the whole ‘unrequited’ thing.”

Julian laughed, but Asra didn’t. He stared at Julian for a long moment, a silence stretching between the two of them. 

“Ilya, I-” 

He held up a hand. 

“Don’t. Don’t worry about it. It was another life. I’m okay now, I got over it.” He stretched his arms out, a smile playing over his features. “I moved on.”

Asra sighed, looking at Julian’s playful grin before turning to look out the window again. Julian’s smile slowly died on his lips. They looked so… sad. 

“I gave them my heart, Ilya.”

Julian sighed, placing his hand on Asra’s shoulder, deliberately this time. 

“I know how that feels.”

“No, I-” Asra looked at Julian, before sighing and turning away again. They stood like that for a long moment, letting the setting sun bathe them in its dying light. It was Asra who broke the silence. 

“I did love you. I think. On some level. Or maybe I wanted to… I just… I wasn’t using you. I just wanted to know for sure. Figure out how I felt.”

Well, Julian certainly wasn’t expecting  _ that.  _ He looked at the magician for a long moment, carefully thinking about his answer before replying.

“Well did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Figure out how you felt.”

Asra laughed again, a quiet, rueful sound at the back of his throat. 

“If I ever figure out how I feel about anything, you’ll be the first to know.”

Julian grinned down at Asra. 

“Likewise,” he replied. Despite the cooling evening air, a warmth was growing between them - they both felt it. Their eyes locked for a long moment, and just for a second, time seemed to slow, and stretch on into infinity. A smile slowly crawled across Asra’s features, before the spell was broken by Julian clapping his gloved hands together. 

“Alright! Now that’s all out in the open, we can set about making a plan to take down those courtiers, right?”

Asra sighed, shaking himself from the reverie that came over him. 

“I have maps and things upstairs. We can work up there. We have a spare bed you can stay in tonight, and we’ll set off in the morning.”

“Well let’s hop to it then,” grinned Julian, leading the way to the second floor of the shop. “No time like the present.”

Asra smiled to himself, following the doctor. No time like the present indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So who's your favourite side character from The Arcana and why is it Mazelinka?

If there was one thing Julian was good at, Asra realised, it was being dramatic. 

Sure, back in the plague days he’d had his quirks and charms. From his stomping around when things didn’t go his way, to bursting through the doors when he had a breakthrough. Hell, even that night…. 

_ I’ll give you all of me.  _

Asra shuddered, trying not to think too hard about that. In short, Julian was a dramatic person. But Asra was quickly learning that he’d never truly seen the doctor in his element before now. They’d gone around the neighbourhoods the courtiers resided in, asking people if there were any strange goings on, and Asra had been subjected to Julian’s rakish charm first hand. His sweeping bows, his roguish grins, his outlandish lies that were so ridiculous they might as well be true… Asra may tease him, but he was glad Julian was there. He’d never been that good with people, and watching Julian get them to open up was like watching a master at work. 

Some of the time. Other times, he was a walking disaster. 

Like earlier that day, when he’d turned the charm on a young lady in an attempt to get information, and her husband had come home early. They were now safely holed up in Mazzelinka’s home, Julian draped dramatically over a couch holding a cold cloth over his bloody nose, while his… grandmother? Asra still wasn’t completely sure of their relationship… bustled around the kitchen. The familiar smell of arcane ingredients hung in the air as she babbled on at Julian. 

“...This is just like you, Ilya, just like you! You finally free yourself of the fugitive status and immediately find someone else to piss off! You can’t just stay on people’s good side, can you?”

Julian laughed, waving a hand in an attempt to seem charming, but just looking like he was floundering. “Well, you still like me, don’t you Linka?”

Mazelinka emerged from the kitchen, a bowl of broth in each hand. “You keep trying your luck, Ilya. See how long you stay on my good side.”

Asra couldn’t help the smile that spread across his features as Julian grinned at her, shifting so he was sitting upright. 

“You love me, don’t lie,” he smirked, lifting the bowl to his lips and taking a long drink. His whole posture softened. “Mm, after all, I have to stay on your good side don’t I? You won’t get soup this good anywhere else on this plane.” Mazelinka pulled a face at him. 

“Flattery will get you nowhere.” She reached over and flicked him on the ear. “And use a spoon, you uncivilised moron! Were you raised in a barn?” 

“Among other things,” he shot back with a grin. “You would know, wouldn’t you?”

Mazelinka rolled her eyes, before sitting down with her own bowl and turning to Asra. “Unbelievable, this boy. I didn’t teach him any of this, I can assure you of that.”

Asra laughed, lifting his own spoon to his lips as he looked on at the two bickering. It had been such a long time since he’d felt this amount of familiarity and warmth between two people… Family hadn’t been a part of Asra’s life since he was a boy, and he tried hard not to dwell on it, but watching the warm smiles and jeering grins passed between the two, it was difficult not to feel the tug on his heartstrings. His eyes fluttered shut as he tasted the soup. Julian had been right.. It was delectable. 

“Your boy may be many things, Mazelinka, but he’s certainly not a liar. This soup is simply the best I’ve tasted - I must bother you for the recipe some time.”

Mazelinka smiled warmly at him. “Why thank you, Asra. It’s an old pirate recipe; we’ve kept it in my family for generations, but if you keep impressing me like you have, I might let you have a peek.” Julian looked affronted. 

“Oh, so he compliments your cooking and gets offered ancient family secrets, but I compliment your cooking and get a cuff around the ear? How is that fair?”

Mazelinka snorted. “Well, he didn’t come stumbling through my front window with a bloody nose, trampling my flowers and making a right mess, did he?”

Julian immediately went on the defensive. “It’s not my fault I don’t -”

“Fit through the door, we know!” Mazelinka waved her spoon around in frustration and Asra couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled up in his chest. “So just crouch like a normal person! You clearly don’t fit through the window much better.”

Asra heard Julian mumble something about an appreciation for theatrics, but he let the subject drop. The three of them ate their soup in a comfortable silence, properly relaxing for the first time in days. The comfortable warmth of Mazelinka’s hut washed over Asra as he ate, and a smile spread across his features. It was nice to see this side of Ilya. His home, his roots. Looking over at him, Asra couldn’t help but note his easy smile and relaxed posture. With a start, they realised this may have been the happiest they’d ever seen Julian in all the time they’d known him. 

“Mazelinka, my dear, as always you have outdone yourself. My compliments to the chef,” Julian grinned, finishing off his soup and giving a small but dramatic bow in Mazelinka’s direction. A reluctant smile crept across her face. 

“Thank you, Ilya. I’m glad you and your friend liked it.” She stood up, stretching as she went. “Now, I’m heading out for a bit. Errands to run, people to meet, you know.”

Julian arched an eyebrow. “Mazelinka, it’s the middle of the night.”

A roguish grin that Asra definitely recognised came across her features. “Exactly. No better time for it.” She turned to Asra. “I don’t suppose you could spare a moment to help me with something out front?”

Asra hastily got to his feet, completely missing the dubious look Julian shot at Mazelinka. “Of course! Anything to repay your hospitality, ma’am.”

Mazelinka barked a harsh and amused laugh, and led the way out the front door. Asra followed without question, stopping under the low door frame. He understood why Julian had favoured the window… He turned to Mazelinka and was surprised to see all traces of amusement had left her expression. She gazed at Asra with a level and borderline hostile expression, her arms crossed. Asra looked confused. 

“You broke his heart you know.”

Confusion turned to surprise, turned to hurt in quick succession. He began to explain himself, but Mazelinka held up a hand, cutting him off. 

“I don’t want to hear it. I’m sure you have your reasons, and I’m sure you have your regrets, but that doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t absolve you of anything. The bottom line is you. Hurt. My. Boy. And no one hurts my boy.”

She jabbed her wooden spoon into his chest a few times for emphasis, and Asra’s whole form slumped. Her words stung, but he knew she was right. He nodded. 

“I know.” The words were quiet, almost snatched away entirely by the evening breeze. Mazelinka nodded. 

“Good. I can tell you’re a good person, Asra, beneath all those troubles and woes. But you need to start thinking before you act. You’re not immune to consequences, and if you don’t start cleaning up your act you’re going to break him.”

Asra nodded wordlessly. 

“He likes you. He likes you a lot, even after everything, and I can see why. You’re a kind and curious soul, Asra. But he’s not some toy for you to play with or some puzzle to take apart. He’s a human man, with thoughts and feelings, and a heart he’s too quick to give away. Do better by him,” she stepped almost uncomfortably close, “or I will personally make sure you never hurt anyone again.”

Asra swallowed the lump in his throat, hands clenching and unclenching by his side. He nodded slowly. “I understand. I will.”

“Good.” She reached into a pouch on her belt and took out a bunch of herbs. “You can start with this. Make some tea with this - there’s an infuser in the top drawer, add a spoon of honey to each mug. Ilya would sooner die than go to sleep at a reasonable hour - this should make him drowsy enough to send him to bed before sunrise.”

Asra nodded. He’d been witness to Julian’s questionable sleep schedule a number of times - both in their palace days and in the last few nights of working together. 

“Of course.” 

She nodded, seemingly satisfied for now. She turned on her heel to walk away, before Asra blurted out. 

“I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

Mazelinka looked back at him, a tired smile on her face. 

“But you did. Make it right.”

And she turned and left. Asra stood for a long moment, dumbfounded by her speech. He stared down at the herbs in his hand, before he turned to go back into the hut. He saw Julian, sitting with his feet up on the table, scribbling in a book. He looked up as Asra walked in, a smile on his face. 

“Ah, there you are! All okay?” He took in Asra’s expression, and his smile dimmed a few notches. “She didn’t give you an earful did she? She’s terrible for that - she’s just very protective is all. Don’t take it too personally.”

Asra looked at Julian, long and hard and thoughtfully, before a tired smile settled on his face. “Don’t worry. It was nothing I didn’t need to hear. Tea?”

“Sounds delightful. The tea leaves are in a jar on the windowsill, and the infuser is in the top drawer.”

Asra nodded, walking into the kitchen, still slightly dazed. He looked over his shoulder back at Julian, staring as he set the book aside and stretched his lanky form out before settling further into the sofa.  _ A heart he’s too quick to give away…  _ That was what Mazelinka had said. Julian caught him looking and gave him a cocked grin, waggling his eyebrows jokingly. Asra laughed, turning back to put the kettle on. He could see what she meant. His hand subconsciously rubbed the spot on his chest as he thought about it. It was a sentiment he could understand completely. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I projecting my feelings about Asra onto Mazelinka? Maybe. But I think that's valid. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Kudos and comments are always appreciated - I'm having a blast writing this ^.^


	3. Chapter 3

Neither of them couldn’t pin-point exactly when they had started sleeping together. 

And to clarify, it was  _ just  _ sleeping. Sex was a… complicated playing field for them right now, and maybe it always would be. But sleeping was easy - especially when they didn’t have to do it alone. 

At first, it was a logistic thing. There were only two beds in Mazelinka’s hut, and three of them were staying there. Asra had politely taken The Hole the first few nights, allowing the other two to work out the bedroom between them. But it quickly became apparent that Mazelinka preferred the Hole, and sharing with Julian was getting difficult, so Asra had offered to switch. Julian couldn’t help but tease. “Sure, it’ll be like a good, old-fashioned slumber party! Should we braid each other’s hair and talk about boys?” Despite himself, Asra had laughed, and happily moved his few belongings into the bedroom. 

Initially they’d tried topping-and-tailing on the bed, but they quickly learned Julian was too tall for that to be comfortable - it took Asra getting kneed in the face three times before they sucked it up and slept side by side normally. They always fell asleep back to back, but somehow kept waking up facing each other, limbs tangled beneath the bed sheets. Whoever woke up first on a particular morning would blush a unique shade of crimson, quickly extract themself from the other person, and proceed to never talk about it. But they both knew. And deep down, Julian reckoned that neither of them really minded. 

After they parted ways from Mazelinka’s home, they were already closer. All the tension that used to permeate their silences was gone - to that point that inn keeps and hotel owners just assumed they’d only want one bed, and neither cared enough to try and change it. The first time that had happened, Julian had made endless jokes. “Oh no, Asra, there’s only one bed! Whatever shall we do? What if we accidentally brush shoulders in a seemingly mundane but secretly deep and tender moment?” Asra had thrown a pillow at Julian’s head before lying down on the soft mattress. “Shut up and come to bed you lanky freak.” Julian had been happy to oblige. 

While their quest to get along with each other had been going swimmingly, the  _ actual  _ quest they were on could definitely have been going better. The courtiers’ estates, while certainly creepy, held no secrets or clues, and everyone they spoke to had much the same opinion - they’re weird and unsettling, but ultimately harmless. They’d dug into all corners of Vesuvia trying to find something - anything - and were still no closer to discovering what Lucio or the courtiers were up to, nor what  _ actually  _ happened that night. It was frustrating. But with Asra at his side, it was decidedly less frustrating. 

They were in a dimly lit room in a dingey inn, Julian sitting on the floor with a book on his lap and Asra sitting cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed and deep in thought. With a frustrated grunt, Julian pushed the book aside. Asra cracked an eye open. 

“Uh oh,” they commented. “I know that face.”

“Why is everything so  _ difficult? _ ” Julian lamented, running a gloved hand through his unruly auburn hair. “Once,  _ just once _ , I’d love to be presented with a problem I could actually solve.” Asra gave him a long, measured look, before shaking his head with a sigh. 

“Alright, sit down. We’re done.”

Julian looked at the magician, confused. “What do you mean we’re ‘done’?”

“It’s been, what, two weeks? Three? And we’re no closer than we were at the start of all this. Clearly we’re coming at it from the wrong angle. We’ll pack up tonight and head back to the palace tomorrow morning. Now  _ sit down. _ ”

Julian stared at Asra for a long moment, equal parts shocked and disappointed. “So we’re giving up?”

Asra shrugged. “On this particular endeavour? Yes. You can’t win them all, Julian. There’s something better we can be doing right now, and we’re going to find it. Now for the love of god, sit down.”

This time Asra actually got up and grabbed Julian’s arm, leading him over to sit on the bed. Reluctantly, he obliged. 

“Alright, I’m here. I’m sitting. Are you happy now?”

“Very,” Asra replied, reaching into his bag and pulling out a deck of cards. He shuffled them idly as he spoke. “Now, we need to figure out where to go next. What better way than asking someone more powerful than us?”

Julian couldn’t help the roll of his eyes as he crossed his arms. “Really? Is now really the time for your voodoo witch stuff?”

“It’s not voodoo, Ilya, that’s entirely different. Besides, what harm could it do, really?” He set the deck of cards on the bed between them. “Split the deck for me.”

Julian looked at Asra, unimpressed, and they simply returned the look. With a sigh, Julian split the deck in three. Asra picked up the piles, reshuffling them, the cards moving deftly between his fingers, before he held a full hand up to Julian. “Pick three.”

Julian raised an eyebrow, before selecting three cards from the pile and placing them face down on the bed. Asra smiled, pushing the cards into one deck again and sitting back. “Okay, choose a card, and turn it over.”

“Asra, this is dumb.”

“That’s never stopped you from doing something before.”

Julian couldn’t help the laugh he let out. “Touche,” he smirked, before reaching for the centre card and flipping it over. 

And time suddenly stopped. 

“Ah, the Hanged Man. Well that makes sense. We need to find a new perspective… Ilya? Are you listening?”

He wasn’t. He was staring down at the card, his one exposed eye wide and unblinking as flashes of memory played out in his mind. Pain, fear, hurt, lost… found. Found by… found by him. The raven headed man. The hanged man. His hands started shaking. He was remembering. 

“Ilya? Ilya, I need you to look at me.” Asra recognised the expression - he’d seen it on the apprentice’s face many times, when they got a little too close to their past. He knew what damage this could do. “Ilya, I really need you to talk to me. What’s happening?”

All at once, Julian’s head snapped up, his eye boring into Asra’s. He was trembling. 

“The palace. We need to go to the palace. I’m… I’m remembering. There was… a dungeon… I was… I…”

“Okay, Ilya, big deep breaths.” Asra reached forward, placing his hands on either side of Julian’s face to try and centre him. “We can go back to the palace. Do you need to go now, or can we sleep first?” 

“As soon as possible. I don’t want to forget it again, I don’t…”

Asra looked at Julian - properly looked at him. He was  _ wrecked.  _ He knew how Julian threw himself completely into everything he did, and this had been no exception. How much sleep had he been getting anyway? Bags were starting to form under his eye, and he looked pale. Asra flashed back to Mazelinka’s words from before.  _ You can start with this.  _ Mazelinka would never let Julian go out into the streets like this… And the palace was miles away. He nodded to himself. He knew what to do. 

“Okay, just stay here, alright? I’ll be right back. Just lay down for me, okay?”

Julian looked confused at the sudden change of demeanor. “I… I don’t… where are you going?”

Asra started rifling through his bag, trying to remember which herbs Mazelinka had given him before… He was sure he had some valerian root in here somewhere… “I’m going to make us some tea. We could both use it. Maybe write down what you’re thinking, see if that helps.”

Julian stared at Asra, before slowly nodding. That… made sense. “Yeah, yeah okay. I’ll do that,” he replied, reaching for his coat and digging through the pockets for a journal. Asra nodded, and slipped out of the room, locking the door behind him just in case. He found what he was looking for in his bag, and made for the kitchen. And he couldn’t help the smile that found its way onto his face as he went. For maybe the first time in all their time together, Asra felt that he’d finally made the correct choice when it came to Julian Devorak. He clutched the herbs in his hands with a grin. 

_ Thank God for Mazelinka,  _ he thought, slipping into the kitchen to find it abandoned.  _ I will finally do right by him.  _

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm trying my best to stick to an accurate time line, but I honestly can't remember whether Asra would remember the deal he made to bring the apprentice back... Oh well. It was too good a line to not use ^.^
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments! I've written a few more chapters, I'll post them soon, but if there's anything you want to see in the next chapters let me know.


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